A real-time depth camera is able to determine the distance to a human or other object in a field of view of the camera, and to update the distance substantially in real time based on a frame rate of the camera. Such a depth camera can be used in motion capture systems, for instance, to obtain data regarding the location and movement of a human body or other subject in a physical space, and can use the data as an input to an application in a computing system. Many applications are possible, such as for military, entertainment, sports and medical purposes. Typically, the depth camera includes an illuminator which illuminates the field of view, and an image sensor which senses light from the field of view to form an image. However, challenges exist such as properly orienting the depth camera such that the target object is properly in the field of view.